


Something About His Look

by noarel



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-19 23:52:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2407490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noarel/pseuds/noarel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"There he was, the newest addition to Stars Hollow. He was wearing a blue hoodie and a look on his face that said... Rory really didn't know what it said. Probably something not good, but Rory still wanted to find out."</p><p>What if Rory and Dean hadn't gotten back together at the end of Season 1? Things would have been different with Jess. Takes place in season 2, episode 5: Nick & Nora/ Sid & Nancy. Oneshot for now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something About His Look

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Gilmore Girls fanfic ever. I've been playing around with this idea for a while and now finally decided to write it down. I'm not sure if this is going to be a oneshot or am I going to continue it. 
> 
> There's quite a lot of dialogue from the episode Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy I've borrowed, so obviously those bits are not mine. 
> 
> English isn't my first language, I hope that doesn't show. All mistakes are mine. 
> 
> Feel free to comment and tell me what you think!

Rory was actually quite curious about Luke's new nephew. Well, he wasn't exactly new, 17 years old, but he was new to Stars Hollow. Rory wondered what it felt like, being new in this weird little town where everyone knew each other's business. Jess's mother had just sent him here to be Luke's problem, not hers. That must have been tough for the boy. So, Rory was curious, and now Luke and Jess were coming for dinner.

She heard from her room that Sookie and Jackson were tasting lemons in the kitchen and boy, Jess must have been searching for nearest escaping route right now. Rory decided to be a hero and save him from lemons. It was just common courtesy, really. Just as she was coming out of her room she heard her mom say ”Rory, they're here.” Perfect timing.

”Coming,” she said and opened the door to kitchen. There he was, the newest addition to Stars Hollow. He was wearing a blue hoodie and a look on his face that said... Rory really didn't know what it said. Probably something not good, but Rory still wanted to find out.

”Hey,” she said, smiling. Suddenly she felt unsure about herself. There was something about his look...

”Hey.” Apparently that was all the invitation he needed because suddenly he was in Rory's room. And hello, a boy in her room. That hadn't happened since Dean. And that was a place in her thoughts she didn't want to go to right now.

”I'm Rory.”

”Yeah, I figured.”

”Nice to meet you.”

Jess walked around her room and it made Rory nervous. Had she hidden all her silly childhood stuff? And what exactly was in that bookshelf of hers, because maybe those books didn't give the right impression about her and her reading habits. She read other books, too, maybe better than those on the shelf. She almost said it out loud when Jess kept scanning the backs.

”Wow, aren't we hooked on phonics.” There was a hint of warm humour in his voice and Rory decided she liked it.

”Oh, I read a lot. Do you read?”

”Not much.”

It seemed like he did, though, the way he looked at the books and picked up just the right one, the one Rory had read a dozen times.

”I could loan you that if you want,” Rory said, thinking that if Jess didn't read much he really should. And maybe she could be the start of Jess's reading hobby. ”It's great.”

She tried to not look disappointed when Jess said ”No thanks,” and put the book down. She didn't know why she suddenly cared so much about this stranger's opinion.

”Well, if you change your mind...”

Suddenly Rory's mom appeared in the doorway and told them that they were moving the feast to the living room. Rory had almost forgotten that there were other people in the house.

Jess continued to look around the room. He was by the dressing table when he picked something up. It was the bracelet, and Rory felt a bit funny. She had forgotten about that. Well, who was she kidding? She hadn't forgot. She just wished she had.

”Have you made this yourself?” Jess asked, maybe just to have something to talk about. Nice topic there, mister.

”No,” Rory said and they were both silent for a while. Jess raised his eyebrows and Rory had to say something. Maybe she could talk about the weather and get away with topic change? Not very likely, but a girl can always dream. ”My... my ex boyfriend made it for me. I should've thrown it away, I don't know what it's doing there.”

”Oh,” Jess said and put the bracelet down.

”It's no big deal,” Rory continued. ”We dated for only three months. He left me on our three month anniversary because he said he loved me and I couldn't say it back.”

”Wow,” Jess said.

”I have no idea why I told you that.”

”He sounds like a jerk,” Jess said. ”If it makes you feel any better.”

It kind of did.

”Hey, maybe we could get some beers from the fridge and go somewhere else,” Jess said out of the blue.

”It's Tuesday night in Stars Hollow. There's nowhere to bail to. And I don't drink beer.”

”I thought you'd say something like that. Come on, no one will notice.”

”My mom will notice. Look, Sookie just made a ton of really great food, and I'm starving and though it may not seem like it right at this moment, it's gonna be fun. Trust me.”

Rory really wanted Jess to stay. She didn't know why, she had thought this kind of rebelling punks weren't really her type, but there was something about this boy.

”I don't even know you.”

”Well, don't I look trustworthy?”

”Maybe.”

”Okay, good. Let's eat.”

 

Jess actually followed her to the kitchen, accepted the soda she offered, and walked to the living room with her. The food did smell great. Rory thought her mom looked a little surprised that Jess had actually come to sit with them and hadn't climbed out of the window by now. She felt a little hurt because of that look, even though it wasn't even about her. She had just thought that her mother of all people wouldn't be one to make such quick judgements.

”So, here we are,” Rory said and felt stupid. There was a hint of smile in Jess's expression, but then it was gone.

”Yup,” Jess said and stared down his plate. Everyone around him was chatting animatedly and that made the contrast even bigger. Rory sat beside Jess and started to fill her plate.

”You want some rice?” she asked Jess who didn't say anything, just lifted his plate in a way that probably meant yes. Okay, talking time was definitely over for this guy.

”You know ham was originally made out of rice?” Sookie asked.

”What?” Jackson asked when nobody else said anything.

”Sookie...” Rory's mom said and shaked her head a little.

”Your mom's friends are weird,” Jess whispered into Rory's ear. Rory jumped a little at the contact.

”Sorry for not bailing with you,” Rory whispered back. ”But the food is good, right?”

”I guess so,” Jess said. ”I'm not quite so sure about the company.”

Rory tried not to be hurt. Maybe he just meant Sookie, Jackson, and Lorelai, and Rory kind of understood that. They could be a bit too much sometimes.

”What are you two whispering about?” her mom asked.

”We just...” Rory started. She didn't know what to say.

”I just said that the food is great,” Jess said and surprised everyone at the table. Rory thought she saw Luke choke on his beer. And there it was again, a hint of smile playing on Jess's lips.

”Thank you, Jess,” Sookie said and smiled brightly. After that everything seemed a bit easier. Jess didn't say a word through the whole dinner but Rory got that. At least nobody was pressuring him into talking, that was nice.

 

*

 

The following day Rory had lots of stuff on her mind. Like the fact that she had to interview her mother's ex fiance for the school paper. Sometimes she just hated Paris, but it was actually a good thing she had a chance to talk with Max about things. It felt like closure.

At home, after writing the interview, she noticed she was staring at the bracelet that was still on her table. That stupid bracelet. She decided it was time for her wallowing days to be over. She grabbed the bracelet and tried not to think about anything when she threw it in the bin.

It had been hard, seeing Dean everywhere, avoiding Doose's market, not knowing what to do and when that horrible pain would be over. She had tried to talk to Dean about it, make him understand. She couldn't have said she loved him, though. And apparently waiting for her to be ready to say it wasn't Dean's style. He had left the conversation looking more hurt than ever.

Well, it was his loss. And he was kind of a jerk, like Jess had said. Now the bracelet was in the bin and Rory wouldn't pick it up and put it in her drawer to wait for something to change. No way. Instead she went to the kitchen just in time to hear Babette talking about her lost gnome. Luke was also there, Rory didn't know when he had come in because she had been so lost in her own thoughts. Rory wished she had some popcorn when she followed the bizarre conversation that ended when Luke said: ”I think you're gonna see Pierpont really soon,” and stormed out of the house. Babette left too and suddenly there were just Rory and Lorelai left.

”Don't laugh. This is a serious matter,” Lorelai said. A giggle escaped between Rory's lips and she saw her mother's mouth twitch. Soon they were both laughing and they couldn't stop. Between her laughing Lorelai managed to say: ”Luke just told me he pushed Jess into a lake,” and then they were both gone again.

Later that evening Rory went out to pick some stuff from the book store. He was walking back home when a familiar figure stopped her.

”Hey,” Jess said.

”Hey yourself,” Rory said.

”What are you doing out here?”

”I needed something for school. What about you?”

”Oh yeah, same thing.”

”Uh huh,” Rory said. Suddenly Babette's stolen gnome came to her mind and it was really hard to keep a straight face. ”Stolen any good gnomes lately?”

”News really travel fast in this town, don't they.”

”I also heard that Luke pushed you in a lake. Some great parenting there.”

”Well, I deserved it. I have been a bit of a jerk. But can you blame me?”

”I don't know, can I?”

Jess was silent. He just shrugged and for a little while he looked lost and Rory wanted to hug him to make everything better. Then it was over and Jess smirked at Rory. Rory's stomach made a funny flip that it hadn't done since Dean. Oh, Dean again. She didn't want to think about that, not right now when Jess was new and exciting and looking at her under his eyelashes and making Rory nervous all of a sudden.

”Wanna see a disappearing act?” Jess asked. Before Rory had a chance to say that magic tricks weren't really her thing, Jess had flipped a coin and it seemed to disappear into thin air.

”Little tip?”

”Yeah?”

”If you ever want to speak to me again, don't pull that out of my ear.”

”So I assume the nose is off limits too?”

”Any place you wouldn't naturally find a coin, let's leave it that way.”

”So what are you doing now?” Jess asked. Rory wanted to say that he wasn't doing anything, and hey, want to go for a coffee, but she couldn't.

”I have some homework to finish.”

”Okay, then I'll leave you this last little trick.”

This time Rory really was awed when Jess took something out of his pocket and it was the book that Rory had recommended for him.

”You bought a copy? I told you I'd lend you mine.”

”It is yours.”

”You stole my book.” Rory was quite sure she should have been even a little mad, but she really wasn't. She was actually quite pleased.

”Nope, borrowed it.”

”Okay, that's not called a trick, that's called a felony.”

”I just wanted to put some notes in the margins for you,” Jess explained. That didn't clear anything up.

”What?” Rory looked through her book and noticed that Jess had really written all over the margins, little comments about the text and how he interpreted it. Nobody had ever done anything like that to her before and it felt lovely. ”You've read this before.”

”About forty times.”

”I thought you said you didn't read much.”

”Well, what is much? Goodnight Rory.”

”Goodnight Dodger.” Rory couldn't help herself.

”Dodger?”

”Figure it out.”

Rory turned to go when Jess's voice stopped her.

”Oliver Twist.”

Rory smiled and nodded. It was really hard to walk away, but she managed.

 


End file.
